Patti Smith Tickets

This show was incredible. Patti can engage an audience. Her setlist was terrific and the Park West is always great.

I would say this was the best of the 3 nights...how could it not be? she opened with LAND/Horses! & it was her birthday show!!! EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As always, Patti never disappoints! Knew from the first note it was going to be a good show...Loved the addition of Jack Petrocelli...GREAT show!!!

The bowery ballroom is a very cool place, with friendly people, nice drinks and good view. The show was unforgettable. Best way to spend new year's eve!

Any evening with Patti Smith and Her Band is memorable and spontaneous,Tuesday December 28, 2009 was no exception to this template. The annual shows at The Bowery Ballroom are a celebration of not only her birthday (November 29), they also are a timecheck of Patti's take on current events worldly and universally. First and foremost, one must remember that these shows have become relatively a family and friends event and the intimacy of the venue makes the audience attached to what occurs on stage interactive theater. Patti, with one of her signature sock hats strategically placed,surprised everyone early in the evening by appearing on stage with original Patti Smith Group bandmate Lenny Kaye proudly displaying a first edition of JUST KIDS which is her forthcoming book paying tribute to great friend and amour Robert Mapplethorpe. The book, like everything Patti is part of, is part autobiography, biography, and, more importantly, a picture of New York from artistically revolutionary nexus of the late Sixties thru the Seventies and Eighties. The duo played a touching acoustic "Ask The Angels" in tribute to her fallen friend who past away from AIDS in 1989. Leaving the stage, Patti introduced "the opening act" which turned to be a segment of predominant instrumental sounds featuring Patti's daughter Jesse on keyboards and a young (never properly introduced) bearded young man playing the vibes. Obviously, thoughts of the Dalai Lama were the theme mixed in with some progressive rock lyrics paying homage to the likes of King Crimson. After a brief intermission, Patti and the current edition of the band (Lenny Kaye/guitar/bass, Tony Shanahan/bass/keyboards, Jay Dee Daughtery/drums/precussion, Jack Petruzzelli/guitar/keyboards) strode onto the stage and rocked the room with an emotional verson of "Privilege" culled from the EASTER collection of 1978. Patti then changed gears and once again sang the elegaic "Mother Rose" in honor of her late mom (Beverly). Patti's parents were always supportive in attending most shows in the New York/New Jersy/Pennsylvania area during their lives and are spiritually in the crowd at all of her shows. The show then interspersed nuggets including cover versions of George Harrison ("Within You, Without You"), a surprise a very tight "Billie Jean" spotlighting Shanahan(Michael Jackson), an homage to the great Jim Carroll ("Still Life) with Lenny Kaye in lead, Neil Young's "Powderfinger" featuring awesome guitar virtuosity by Petruzzelli, and a show-ending version of the Motown classic "Love Train". The belly-button and pinnacle of the set was undoubtably a tumultuously poignant performance of "Birdland" which certainly had the ghosts of John Coltrane and Charlie Parker smiling in the heavens as well as William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg. In keeping with the theme of family, Patti also paid tribute to her late husband Fred "Sonic" Smith by singing "Frederick" from the very under-rated WAVE album of 1979. After reading another passage from JUST KIDS, Patti energized the crowd prior to encores with a rockin' "Because The Night" telling her audience prior ot the song that when hearing the song for the first time on radio with Mapplethorpe by her side Robert had very sarcastically commented to her "that he was jealous because she got famous first." The gig ended with a grooving O'Jays/Detroit driven "Love Train" after performing RADIO ETHIOPIA'S chestnut, "Pissing In the River." All in all, perhaps Patti was a little troubled (and rightly so) by some annoying "amateur documentarians" (myself included) and unlike a couple (one in particular) annoying stage-elbowers with digital cameras this scribe dutifully pocketed my outdated Canon when given the scold and Patti admitted her annual birthday-coincidental head cold was obvious and troubled her...yet, nevertheless, a troubled and under-the-weather Patti Smith show is still a gem in this era of recycled oldies shows and endless parades of the "next big thing" "American Idolesque" shams. Thanks Patti for making that New Year's 2010 Blue Moon something to remember!

AMAZING! THE BEST NEW YEARS EVE EVER. AND THE VENUE, PERFECT,

Fantastic night of music spanning the career of a true legend. Everything was just right!

Patti never seems to fail to please her audience!! What a wonderful wonderful show. Each show is unique it it's own way with a totally different feel to it

We have been to see Patti on NYE many times at this venue - the venue is not one of the best (crummy security, not so great sound) but this night was esp. poor - nobody quieted disruptive audience members. Opening band was beyond awful - sleep inducing, cringeworthy and hardly a warm-up for an artist of this caliber. The band was not having one of their best nights - we have seen this artist enough times to know when she is 'phoning it in' and this was one of those shows. The midnight countdown did not happen on time - a little unnerving on New Years Eve! Also, in the past, there was free champagne toast offered - no such thing this time around. The venue should have worked more on the timing of the celebration. We will not be attending this event again.

I love Patti Smith. She embodies the rock n roll and the rock n roll politic. Perhaps she was still feeling the effects of a 'bug' she had caught. She said she usually comes down with something near her birthday. The show I saw was the December 29th performance; one day before her birthday. In my opinion the show did not catch fire and reach those dizzying heights that I know she can capture. Her choice of covers at first was brilliant. George Harrison's 'Within You Without You' from Sgt. Peppers. Man that was truly great except that she went up on the lyric at one point. The she did Michael Jackson's 'Billie Jean.' OK. A tribute. The worst choice of the evening for me and my son was the closer, the last encore, The O'Jays' 'Love Train. "What," we said in unison. "How can this be?" This song did not light the fire in our hearts that we were so looking forward to. No 'Gloria,' no Rock n Roll Ni**er...# It seemed she was holding back somehow. Perhaps measuring herself knowing she had two more big shows coming right up. I don't know exactly but something. And maybe this is nit picking but she was also selling her latest book. I mean it's cool for artists to promote their stuff but I thought once would have been enough. I am still thrilled to have seen her perform because I can see that she has the rock n roll magic inside of her. Unfortunately it did not totally appear on the night I saw her. #(the ticketmaster site made me edit the 'N' word)

She's amazing, the show was great. Couldn't imagine a better way to end the year.

I love Patti and see her on this night every year. Something was amiss and she wasnt her usual utterly fantastic self. I truly hope she is feeling ok love you Patti, feel better

Patti was amazing last night, as was her whole band. They paid tribute to several friends lost this year, Patti read some excerpts from her new book about her friendship with Robert Mapplethorpe, and of course a great blend of past music, some newer stuff and some rocking covers. She shines with such energy and beauty, just a gorgeous, brilliant light. Hope she is still rocking the Bowery Ballroom for many years to come :) It was a priviledge to share her birthday with her.

I've been watching this Band perform sice 1975 and am an avid fan. Patti is at her very best doing hard driving Rock and Roll. Her cover album "Twelve" was a big hit becasue it gave her new opportunities to sing powerful Rock anthems. That said, it would be nice to see her cut some of the slower ballads in exchange for some new songs reminicent of the sexy, charismatic hits of the past. The old girl has still got it in her and deserves some new material to show off her voice which seems to be, even though she claimed to have some throat problems, stronger than ever. John Cale did New Years Eve in 76 with her at the 2nd Ave Theater. It would be great to see some of those "Friends" like him again. As always her poetry gives us inspiration to carry on.

Fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Going into the show, I was not a big Patti Smith fan - I didn't NOT like her, but I didn't know enough about her to really have an opinion - I was just going on a friend's recommendation. I will continue to go see her every December at the Bowery for as long as she continues to play! She is sweet and warm and charming, delightfully unpretentious, and wonderfully talented. Her voice is as powerful as it ever was, and her band is great.

Patti Smith always does a great show. Her band is incredible and she has great interaction with her audience.

The show started late (at 10 pm rather than 8 pm after a one piece 'opening band' which could have been Patti's kids for all I know, which would explain the disconnect between their act and the following concert (no intro to the opening act or after their one piece act'. But Patti Smith and her band did not disappoint. While the 3-in-a-row concert series of Patti Smith is apparently an annual event familiar to many of the folks present, I was puzzled at first about the audience being so patient and understanding, until I realized the concert was meant to start late to end right around midnight - so we could sing "Happy Birthday" to her (today is her 63rd birthday). You will enjoy the her show, but don't bother coming early! Bring along some humor -Patti talks quite a bit about her new book (she got her first copy right before the show), but once she sings her singing is as crisp and engaged and her band is creating a great rock' n roll sound that you cannot help but dance along, and if you close your eyes you can imagine that this is the 70's all over again - this is how her music must have sounded live then !

Patti describes the first night of her three show News Years event at The Bowery as the dregs evening. December 30th is her birthday and then comes New Years Eve. If this was the dregs, than the next two evenings will be amazing. Her own songs were sung with conviction and ferocity. She covered Harrison's Within You, Without You and Michael Jackson's Billie Jean. There were mistakes made and some hesitation with lyrics but these were great fun to hear. Patti also read from her new book, "Just Kids", as she had just gotten a copy from the publisher. Her happiness was infectious. Her enthusiasm for life and her wish to all for a wonderful new year made this a special evening.